Resealable tubular metallic container



1956 J. c.'A. FITCH RESEALABLE TUBULAR METALLIC CONTAINER Filed Sept.'24. 1954 FIG.

INVENTOR JOHN C. A. FITCH BY law ML W. a i" FIG. 2

ATTORNEYS United States patent RESEALABLE TUBULAR METALLIC CONTAINERJohn C. A. Fitch, Bloomfield, N. J., assignorto Standard Container,Inc., Rockaway, N. J., acorporation of New Jersey Application September24, 1954, Serial N 0. 458,117 Claims. (Cl. 220-54) This inventionrelates to containers and more particularly to sealed cylindricalcontainers which are opened by means of a tear strip but which areprovided with pressure-tight reclosure means. The invention provides acontainer of this type having an improved, reclosure structure whichpermits the container to be rescaled in a manner which is dependablywaterand air-tight against substantial pressures.

My issued Patent No. 2,653,730 discloses a sealed tubular container ofthe general type to which the present invention relates, and the presentinvention provides an improvement over the container of that patent. Thecontainer disclosed in that patent comprises a cylindrical metallic canof the usual type in which the cylindrical side wall includes aninterlocking seam extending from the top to the bottom of the can and atear strip extending around the cylindrical side wall. The strip may beconsidered as dividing the can into two sections which must be sealedtogether if the container is to be reclosed after initial opening byremoval of the tear strip. In the container of my said patent thereclosure is effected by means of two seals, effectively provided onebetween each of the two sections of the container and a gasket orsimilar sealing ring mounted within the can in the original manufacturethereof. To permit such rescaling an inner substantially cylindricalsleeve is provided in one section of the container, convenientlyreferred to as the upper section. The sleeve is crimped in air-tightfashion to the upper end of the container and is formed with a threadwhich, upon removal of the tear strip, is permitted to engage a threadrolled in the side wall of the con tainer on the opposite side of, i. e.below, the tear strip. Upon such engagement in reclosure of thecontainer the lower edge of the sleeve is brought to bear against thegasket, which is supported within the lower section of the container onthe end of a fiber or paper cylinder between the side wall of thecontainer and a retaining ring. The threaded engagement so producedreseals the two sections of the container together, one seal beingdeveloped between the sleeve of the upper section and the gasket and theother seal being developed between the gasket and the side wall of the.lower section. The second seal is however somewhat difficult to achievedependably to withstand any substantial pressure (such as that producedby a shallow immersion of the container) because of the irregularityintroduced into the side wall by the seam already referred to.

The present invention provides an improved resealable container, capableof providing reclosure with watertight and air-tight integrity togreater pressures and with greater dependability in mass production. Inthe container of the present invention, the seals are developed asbefore between a gasket and the two sections of the container, broadlyconsidered, but the necessity of effecting a seal across thediscontinuity produced by the seam in the side wall of the can isavoided.

The invention will now be described in further detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation, partly broken away, of a containeraccording to the present invention, in the condition of originalmanufacture; and

Fig. 2v is a fragmentary view similar to that of Fig. 1 but at anenlarged scale, showing the container of Fig. 1 rescaled after openingby removal of the tear strip.

The container of Fig. 1 includes a cylindrical side wall 6 of sheetmetal. rolled into a cylinder with a soldered interlocked seam 7, theside wall being joined at crimped joints to top and bottom plates 14 and15, forming the usual. cylindrical container commonly referred to as atin can. Score lines 9 and 10 about the side wall adjacent the top endof the can define a tear strip 11 terminating at the seam 7 in a flap 12which may be seized with a key for opening the can by removal of thetear strip. The tear strip thus divides the can into sections 2 and 4which may be referred to as upper and lowers sections of the canrespectively although the terms upper and lower are of course arbitraryand interchangeable.

For rescaling, a. sleeve 8, preferably of seamless form, is atfixedinside the side wall of the upper section of the can and sealed inwater-tight fashion around the inside of the upper section, for exampleby means of a flange incorporated into the circular joint at which theend plate 14' is joined to the side wall. Sleeve 8 may be provided witha slight inward flare at 16, and extends below the upper edge 9 of thetear strip in order to permit its engagement. by means of a helicalcorrugation or thread 17 rolled therein with a corresponding thread 18in a seamless sleeve. 20 fastened in the lower section 4 of the can.Upon such engagement, the lower edge 13 of sleeve 8 is brought to bearagainst a sealing ring of yielding material which may take the form of agasket 21 of rubber or the like to reseal the container.

The sleeve 20 is of seamless form, produced for example by means of adrawing operation and is sealed about its entire circumference inwater-tight fashion to the inside wall of the lower section, i. e. belowthe tear strip. The sleeve 20 includes an annular flange or channel 22within which the gasket 21 is snugly received. The two sleeves 8 and 20are so dimensioned that in the original assembly of the container asshown in Fig. 1, the distance between the lower edge of sleeve 8 and theflange 22 is substantially greater than the thickness or axial height ofthe gasket while the distance between the lower edge 13 and the surfaceof the gasket 21 presented thereto when supported on the flange issubstantially less than the width of the tear strip. Accordingly, whenthe tear strip is removed, the container may be rescaled. as illustratedin Fig. 2 by engaging the threads of .the upper and lower sections toforce the lower edge 13 of sleeve 8 against the gasket 21.

A complete circular seal is. then developed between the sleeve 8 and thegasket (and hence between the upper section of the container and thegasket) and a complete circular seal is developed between the seamlesssleeve 20 and the gasket (and hence between the lower section of'thecontainer and the gasket).

In the drawings no contents are shown in the container. The container ofthe invention has been used for the storage of ammunition, for theprotection of which a fiber liner 24 is shown, but this forms no part ofthe invention, andthe invention is not limited to such use. Thecontainer thereof canon the contrary be used in the packaging of a widevariety of articles.

Neither is the invention limited to the particular details ofconstruction shown. For example, a container according to the inventionmay be provided with a threaded engagement between the sleeve 8 of theupper section and a thread rolled into the cylindrical side wall of thelower section of the can, the seamless sleeve of the lower section beingsealed to the side wall below such thread and provided with a depthsuflicient only to carry the gasket and to provide a seamless surfaceagainst which the gasket can be stressed.

I claim:

1. A reclosable tubular container comprising a cylindrical side wallhaving a seam extending the height thereof, top and bottom end walls,means defining a tear strip in said side wall having upper and loweredges and dividing said container into upper and lower sections, andmeans permitting reclosure of said container after opening thereof byremoval of said tear strip, said last-named means comprising a firstcylindrical sleeve affixed within said upper section and sealedhermetically thereto around the entire periphery of said sleeve, saidsleeve having a helical thread formed therein and having a lower edgeextending below the upper edge of said tear strip, a second sleevehaving an exterior surface thereof hermetically sealed about its entireperiphery to the lower section of said side Wall, said second sleevebeing of seamless form, an annular gasket, means to support said gasketaxially of the container, between the upper and lower edges of saidsecond sleeve at a distance from said first sleeve less than the widthof said tear strip, and a helical thread formed in said lower section.

2. A reclosable tubular container comprising a cylindrical side wall,top and bottom end walls, means defining a tear strip in said side wallhaving upper and lower edges and dividing said container into upper andlower sections, and means permitting reclosure of said container afteropening thereof by removal of said tear strip, said last-named meanscomprising a first substantially cylindrical sleeve affixed within saidupper section and sealed thereto, said sleeve having a lower edgeextendmg below the upper edge of said tear strip and having a helicalthread formed therein, a second sleeve aflixed within said lower sectionbelow said tear strip and sealed to said lower section, said secondsleeve being of seamless form and having an annular flange extendinginwardly from said side wall, and a gasket supported on said flangebetween said flange and first sleeve, said lower section having ahelical thread formed therein between said flange and the lower edge ofsaid tear strip, the separation of the lower edge of said first sleeveand the surface of said gasket adjacent thereto being less than thewidth of said tear strip.

3. A reclosable tubular container comprising top and bottom end walls, acylindrical side wall having a seam extending the height thereof andhaving a tear strip scribed therein dividing the container into an uppersection and a lower section, a first cylindrical sleeve aflixed inpressure-tight relation to the interior surface of said upper sectionand extending substantially longitudinally of said container, a helicalcorrugation formed in said first sleeve, a second cylindrical sleeveaflixed in pressuretight relation to the inner surface of the lowersection of said container, said second sleeve having a seamless annularflange extending inwardly from the side wall of said container, saidfirst sleeve terminating in a portion spaced from and in longitudinalalignment with said annular flange, a helical corrugation in the lowersection of said container between said flange and tear strip adapted toengage the helical corrugation of said first sleeve when the tear stripis removed, and a gasket located intermediate the annular flange of saidsecond sleeve and the terminal portion of said first sleeve, saidannular flange and said terminal portion having a longitudinalseparation substantially greater than the height of said gasket and theexcess of said longitudinal separation over the height of said gasketbeing substantially less than the width of said tear strip, whereby saidgasket may be compressed to reseal the separate container sections whensaid tear strip is removed by rotatably displacing the first sleeve intothe lower section to compress the gasket between said terminal portionand said annular flange.

4. A resealable tubular metallic container comprising top and bottomwalls, a cylindrical side wall having an interlocked seam extending theheight thereof and having a tear strip scribed therein, said tear stripdividing the container into upper and lower sections, a first substan'tially cylindrical sleeve aflixed in pressure-tight relation to theinner side of said upper section and extending substantiallylongitudinally of said container, a second substantially cylindricalsleeve aflixed in pressure-tight relation to the inner side of saidlower section, said second sleeve having a seamless annular flangeextending inwardly from said side wall, said first sleeve terminating atits free end in a portion spaced from and in longitudinal alignment withsaid annular flange, a gasket located intermediate said annular flangeand the terminal portion of said first sleeve, said annular flange andsaid terminal portion having a longitudinal separation substantiallygreater than the height of said gasket and the excess of saidlongitudinal separation over the height of said gasket beingsubstantially less than the width of said tear strip, and a helicallycorrugated portion in each of said container sections, at least one ofsaid portions being formed in one of said sleeves, said helicallycorrugated portions being adapted to interengage complementarily withone another when the tear strip is removed and to displace the secondsleeve toward the first sleeve as said container sections are rotatedwith respect to one another, thereby compressing the gasket between theinwardly extending flange of the second sleeve and the terminal portionof the first sleeve to reseal the container.

5. A resealable tubular container comprising top and bottom end walls, acylindrical side wall having a seam therein, said side wall havingscribed therein a tear strip dividing the container into an uppersection and a lower section, a seamless first cylindrical sleeve aflixedin pressure-tight relation to the inner side of the upper section ofsaid container and extending downwardly toward said lower section, asecond seamless cylindrical sleeve of larger internal diameter than theexternal diameter of said first sleeve, said second sleeve being aflixedto the inner side of the lower section of said container and extendingdownwardly into the lower section of said container, said second sleevehaving an annular flange at its lower extremity extending inwardly fromthe side wall of said lower section, an annular compressible gasketresting on said flange within said second sleeve, the distance betweenthe terminal portion of said first sleeve and said gasket beingsubstantially less than the width of said tear strip, and helicallycorrugated portions on each of said sleeves above said gasket adapted tointerengage complementarily with one another when the tear strip isremoved and to displace the second sleeve toward the first sleeve assaid container sections are rotated with respect to one another abouttheir common axis, thereby compressing the gasket between the inwardlyextending flange on the second sleeve and the terminal portion of2,653,730 Fitch Sept. 29, 1953

